Noob needs help building shopping list

[nbkgh12]

I want to load some .300 and 30/06 ammo and am really new to this. Is there an equipment list available that would list most everything I would need to get a good start.

I know what I need in order to smelt wheelweights, but from that point on, I'm not sure.

Perhaps a Lee kit would have most of what I need like a press, powder dispenser, etc. and be good enough for now since funds are limited (seems like a popular phrase now a days).

Any suggestions or tips appreciated.

Thanks,

George

[wiljen]

do a quick search as this has been covered several times. Many people have posted lists for evaluation and gotten a lot of good responses regarding equipment you may be looking at or thinking about.

[Blammer]

if your 'search foo' is like mine, poor and weak, a link from those who know where the posts are would be helpful.

[Beekeeper]

Blammer,
I thought I was the only one who could never find anything with search.
Makes me feel like there is hope for me yet


Jim

[chris in va]

I'm on a budget too, and got the Lee Hand Press kit for ~$40. Works great. All told my entire reloading equipment cost is around $120 as I bought some used items like scale, puller etc. So far I have about 3000 rounds of 9mm through the press and it's still going strong.

[AZ-Stew]

I want to load some .300 and 30/06 ammo and am really new to this. Is there an equipment list available that would list most everything I would need to get a good start.

You should be able to write up a list after reading the "how to" sections of the reloading manuals (note that "manuals" is plural) that you should order first. You'll learn about presses, dies, case trimmers, priming tools and other accessories, as well as about the individual components (brass, primers, powder and bullets) that make up the completed cartridge. After you've read and understood the "how to" sections, you'll be able to ask more specific questions. The one quoted above is very general.

Be aware that for the .300 (I assume it's a .300 Win Mag) you will not likely be able to replicate factory ballistics using cast boolits. It's easier with the .30-06, but factory velocities with that cartridge are not beginner's stuff, either. With jacketed bullets you can replicate factory ballistics very easily.

I'm not trying to discourage you, I'm just responding based upon your post. You seem to be a beginner to the handloading business and I want you to be aware of what you can expect.

Any of us could give you a list of handloading tools, but it's doubtful that any particular list would be best suited to your needs. Do a little studying, then ask us more specific questions (i.e., Is this tool better than that tool? I plan to use it in such and such a manner.), so we can give you better answers.

The other option is to buy a kit, as offered by most of the handloading tool manufacturers. They contain most of the stuff you need to start. The drawback is that you'll end up liking some of the tools in the kit and hating others, whereupon you'll have to go shopping again to get the tool you really want.

Regards,

Stew

[Recluse]

Add me to the Search-Challenged. People recommend using the little plus (+) sign in between certain words, and all I get is a string of posts that look like a graduate school student's mathematics dissertation.

To the OP,

The Lee Challenger or Anniversary single-stage press kit is excellent for any single-stage reloader. The press is solid and like any single-stage press, a no-brainer to use.

You'll need scales, but the kit comes with the Lee Safety Scale. It is extremely accurate, but it will also have you taking the savings you harbor from reloading and applying them towards an RCBS scale. :)

Powder measure and case trimmer come with the kit as well as a priming tool.

Essentially, if you order it for 30-06, it will come ready to load sans reloading dies.

For long gun cartridges, and especially if you plan on using any jacketed bullets, I suggest you get the Lee Factory Crimp Die. It is a good tool for most any reloader, but especially helpful for those brand new to handloading.

Any set of 30-06 Springfield dies will work.

But the single most important and number one item on your shopping list is a reloading manual. No exception to this rule, and zero excuse for not having one.

New reloaders who come to this site or others and ask "What is a good load for. . ." and who end up admitting they haven't bought a reloading manual usually find themselves on the wrong end of a tongue-lashing, and the Well of Knowledge dries up very fast.

Please, please invest in a reloading manual.

As far as casting?

If you've never reloaded, my inclination would be to begin with jacketed bullets and get a little experience there before trying to cast, gas-check, size, lube, and load cast boolits for high-performance rounds like 30-06 and .300. Some here will disagree, and I have no brief with that whatsoever. Just my opinion that it is easier to learn the basics with known quality and composition bullets in order to eliminate a huge variable in the reloading process.

Good luck.

:coffee:

[geargnasher]

I agree very strongly with both AZ and Recluse, Get a loading manual first (local bookstore, maybe even find one used), all of them have a "how to" section in the beginning, read, study and understand what it is you're trying to do BEFORE you spend any other money.

Start with jacketed bullets first, when you get the basics of safe loading and accuracy down pat, THEN you might graduate to cast, I wouldn't recommend doing both at once.

Remember, neither this forum nor any other is a substitute or shortcut for reading and studying a good handloading manual. All of them that I know of give excellent step-by-step instructions with plenty of good safety advice and cautions.

We like to help people who help themselves, not figure it out for you. This is a hobby, take responsiblity for your own fun!

Gear

[thx997303]

I agree with the above posts, but I did things a little bit backwards.

I started casting, got that down for the most part, then started reloading.

Maybe I'm just an odd duck.

[AZ-Stew]

I agree with the above posts, but I did things a little bit backwards.

I started casting, got that down for the most part, then started reloading.

Maybe I'm just an odd duck.

Your avatar shows where I started 37 years ago, but my revolver was a Dixie Gun Works kit, 1858 Remington brass frame. Then there was the .45 cap lock Pennsylvania replica. I started with a Lyman mould, Lyman dipper and melting my lead in a pipe tobacco can on the gas stove in the apartment kitchen.

I started handloading shortly thereafter for .30-06 and .45 ACP. Many other cartridges have followed since. IIRC, my first attempts at casting for the .45 ACP used a Lyman 452460 hand lubed with axle grease. I don't remember how they shot. Maybe I'll make some more and remind myself.

Regards,

Stew

[462]

nbkgh12,

First piece of reloading equipment I got was a used Lyman reloading handbook. Read it a few times so I understood the process.

Once you have a grasp on what is involved, then you can start buying equipment based upon your direction and budget. Midway and Midsouth are excellent companies, with Midway having the largest selection. For primers and powder, right now, Powder Valley seems to have the best availability.

Good luck in your new hobby.

[2muchstuf]

Hay 12,
These guys all gave very good advice.
Listen to what was said and you'll go far.
Welcome to the forum.
2

[Recluse]

Please, please invest in a reloading manual.

As an addendum to my original post (sorry, I'm sitting in Tulsa waiting on storms to move away from the north Texas area so I can fly back home. Small airplanes and big storms are not a good combination. . .).

You can get used reloading manuals on Amazon or you can post a WTB (Want To Buy) right here in the Swapping & Selling forum. Loads RARELY change. After all, W231 powder is W231 powder and Winchester primers are Winchester primers and a 30-06 brass shall casing is just that.

So, what I'm saying is you don't need to fork out $30 on a brand new, shrink-wrapped shiny Reloading Manual from "name your brand."

Sometimes you can find such things at Half-Price Books as well.

One last thing I omitted from your basic beginner's reloading list that I feel is very important, ESPECIALLY for long gun reloading, is a set of calipers. You can buy them for around $20 at Cabelas or Harbor Freight or elsewhere.

Calipers will take a LOT of guesswork and estimation out of the process--and that is a GOOD thing when dealing with the velocities and pressures of a 30-06 or .300 caliber round. :)

:coffee: